Four candidates emerge as Dallas narrows its defensive coordinator search. Discover who's making the Cowboys cut and why other notable names are sidelined.
FRISCO - The Dallas Cowboys' first round of interviews in the search for a new defensive coordinator included nine names - fulfilling the promise that the club would "cast a wide net'' in the effort to replace the fired Matt Eberflus.
And now, under the direction of head coach Brian Schottenheimer, who is the point man here (as opposed to owner Jerry Jones and his traditional narrow search), we may be carving down the nine names to four.
We know that Daronte Jones, the Minnesota Vikings pass game coordinator, Interviewed for a second time this weekend.
(A plus: He's a Brian Flores protege. A minus: He's only been a coordinator briefly, for one year at LSU. Oh, and rather than hire a Flores protege, why not try to hire Flores himself?)
We know that Jonathan Gannon, the former Cardinals head coach, is slated for a second interview on Tuesday.
(A plus: He's been a head coach and he was a winner as the coordinator for the Super Bowl Eagles. A minus: Matt Eberflus is his mentor.)
We know that Christian Parker, the Eagles pass game coordinator/defensive backs coach interviewed once, and that Dallas has been planning a second visit.
(A plus: He's learned from some of the best, and is credited with guiding young cornerback stars like Patrick Surtain, Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean. A minus: At 34, is Parker really ready for the Big Stage?)
And we know that Dallas has interviewed Jim Leonhard, the Broncos pass game coordinator ... and we work under the assumption that they will hold back their decision until they can see him again.
(A plus: He seems to fit almost exactly what Schottenheimer said he was looking for in the season-ending press conference. A minus: He can't be interviewed in person until the Broncos are either ousted from the playoffs or until we get to Super Bowl bye week. Is he worth the wait?)
That's four defensive coordinator second-interview candidates. And we wonder if Dallas is just about done there.
No Flores? No visit with the Browns' Jim Schwartz? What about Sean McDermott, the head coach just canned in Buffalo? We'll work under the assumption that the Cowboys have their reasons here - reasons may be driven by those guys pursuing head coaching jobs.
And what might we be left with? A wide-net list of nine ... about to be shaved to four.